PACE President urges parties to Ukrainian conflict to open escape corridor

February 18, 2015, 19:55 UTC+3STRASBOURGAnne Brasseur has expressed regret that despite the agreement reached in Minsk last week and yesterday’s UN Security Council resolution, the violence in eastern Ukraine has not stopped

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Anne Brasseur, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

STRASBOURG, February 18. /TASS/. Anne Brasseur, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), on Wednesday issued a statement with regard to the continued fighting in south-eastern Ukraine, including the town of Debaltsevo where the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic have encircled a large grouping of Ukrainian Army and National Guard units.

In line with the current political tendency dominant in the West, she described the situation as the one "where the Russian-backed separatist forces have clearly sought to extend their control over the region."

"I regret that despite the agreement reached in Minsk last week and yesterday’s UN Security Council resolution, the violence in eastern Ukraine has not stopped," the statement said.

"This constitutes a flagrant violation of the cease-fire agreement," Brasseur said. "There can be no military solution to the conflict, and today I reiterate the call to respect the ceasefire — the only chance for progress towards the much-wanted peace."

I support the calls of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and PACE’s Rapporteur on the political consequences of the crisis in Ukraine Kristýna Zelienková, who is currently in Kyiv, for a safe passage for those who wish to leave Debaltsevo," she said.